The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Known vehicles use autonomic control systems to control vehicle operation. For example, vehicles use cruise control systems to maintain a travel speed of the vehicle at an operator-selected speed. Further, vehicles use adaptive cruise control systems to control speed based on both the operator-selected speed and the presence of and distance to another vehicle in a projected travel path. Exemplary vehicle detection systems used by adaptive cruise control systems include radar detection devices and lidar detection devices to detect the position and speed of other vehicles within the projected travel path.
Known vehicle systems include autonomic vehicle control systems that include maneuvering capabilities. Known autonomic vehicle control systems include maneuvering capabilities for controlling the direction of the vehicle and thereby controlling the travel path and speed of the vehicle.
An example of an autonomic control system having maneuvering capability is an autonomic lane-change system. Known autonomic lane-change systems include a vehicle detection system to detect other vehicles in a current lane of the vehicle and vehicles in lanes adjacent to the vehicle. Known vehicle detection systems include radar detection devices and lidar detection devices to detect the position and speed of the other vehicles. The autonomic lane-change system may include a human-machine interface device to receive commands from the vehicle operator and actuators to automatically steer the vehicle to change vehicle travel direction in response to the commands.
In a vehicle using a known autonomic lane-change system, a vehicle operator commands activation of the autonomic lane-change system through the human-machine interface device, thereby indicating a desired lane change. When the autonomic lane-change system is activated, the autonomic lane-change system actively monitors adjacent travel lanes to determine whether other vehicles are present in the adjacent lanes. When the autonomic lane-change system detects an acceptable level of clearing for entry of the vehicle into the adjacent lane, the autonomic lane-change system operates the steering system of the vehicle to maneuver the vehicle into the adjacent lane.